They Want Me To Keep Fighting
by Hikari Daeron
Summary: Side fic to New Professors, New Adventures. Let's focus on the life of Joey Wheeler... who is different that we THOUGHT so... In fact, he's clever, and he's going to be a doctor to help others... and he meets a boy that changes him...
1. The Nature of the Job

I've been really annoyed with myself lately. I _really _want to write a Yami/Yugi story that is completely unrelated to the plot of the show. However, I have NO ideas for it! Grrr…

And, on the side of that, I want to write another story about Joey and another one about Seto. Maybe I should re-write _No Such Things As Happy Endings: YGO Style _for Seto… -_gets frustrated and throws a hissy fit­_-

_breathes deeply_- Okay… so here is the beginning of what I should have started long ago…

* * *

They Want Me To Keep Fighting 

_Chapter One: The Nature Of The Job_

**Author's Note: This is a side fic to _New Professors, New Adventures_. It's all about our favorite blonde, Joey Wheeler. (Suddenly I think of the movie – "You'll have to go against a top contender, and I think I know one." -Joey "Seto Kaiba?" -Tristan "ME, Joey Wheeler!" –Joey. Lol, I love that movie. Sorry.) Anywhoosle… yeah. **

**This is _before _the gang knows about Hogwarts, and _after _Ancient Pasts, Present Futures.**

**Also, the gang is now 21-ish. VERY END of the second year of college, before they decide what field to go into.**

Disclaimer: Don't own YGO. Or anything else copyrighted in the fic. However, I _do _own the book that they are reading in class. THAT ENTIRE PLOT BELONGS TO ME AND ME ONLY! GOT THAT! –_cough_-

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JOEY'S POV:

Another day at school. Oh joy.

I don't know _why _I have to go to school. It doesn't make any sense – they say it's for our "own good," that we need an education, et cetera. Sure, that makes sense, but why do we have to learn all of this extra stuff that we'll never see in life again?

(veena: I hear ya, sista'!)

For instance – I for one know that I'm never going to need to know what an "allegory" or a "metaphor" is in life. (1) So why the _hell _do I need to learn about that kind of shit?

Sigh. I'd better get to school.

* * *

"MR. WHEELY!"

I sit up abruptly. At _least _the idiot could get my name right.

I hear Kaiba snigger. Why that heartless little –

"MR. WHEELY!"

I jerk my head towards the person calling me. Stupid teacher…

"Yes?" I say, slipping on my Brooklyn accent. Sometimes it annoys me – the fact that I have to hide myself behind this mask of stupidity. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

"Mr. Wheely, would you care to read the paragraph that we just read to ourselves aloud?" Heh. He thinks that I wasn't paying attention. Wait until I prove him wrong!

I look down at my open copy of the book that we're reading and smirk. I know the book like the back of my own hand.

I read it aloud.

""I've never really hated Aazar as a person," she said. "She's generally very nice. I hate her because of the role she plays in the Light Elves and because of her power. I suspect that she hates me for the same reasons – the fact that I play a huge role in the Shadow Elves and because she is afraid that her title will be snatched away by me.""

I look expectantly up at the teacher. He looks slightly surprised and nods. "Now explain it."

I glance back down at my book. It was my own copy, signed by the author, who I've met. Actually, the entire gang has met her, but they don't realize that she was the one who wrote it.

I had highlight that paragraph before with notes next to it. Slowly, I try to think of a typical Joey Wheeler response. Act slow, Wheeler, act slow…

"Well," I said slowly. "Aazar and Kiriov are considered undisputed enemies…" Uh-oh Wheeler, you're slipping… I quickly put on my accent. "… One's da head of da Shadow Elves, da other da head of da Light Elves. Everyone would dink dat da dese two would hate each other in dis war. However, before da war, dey could have been good friends."

I look up. Hopefully the answer was "good" enough, and that no one caught my little slip. The teacher smirks and turns, writing an obvious minus in his grade book. (2) My head falls on my desk. If I could only cut loose…

* * *

I was _really _looking forward to going home, except now we have to stay longer. Stupid principal… he is NOT my pal. (3)

"Aww, c'mon Joey, our future rides on this!" Trust Yugi to try and make it sound _that_ serious.

"Yeah man, we don't want you to turn up like – " Tristan stops abruptly. I know what he was going to say.

" – like my dad, yeah," I finish. I sigh. "Okay guys, whatever."

We're supposed to decide what field we're going to go into. Psh. At the moment, I'd just like to go home and rest… I've got to get up early tomorrow and deliver the papers. As usual. Every morning it's the same routine – get up early, deliver the papers, walk a couple people's dogs, take a shower, go to school, come home, do homework, go walk another couple people's dogs, wash about ten people's cars, go home, get beaten up by Malcolm (4), and then, when he falls asleep or goes out for more drinks, clean up after him. Joy.

After being lectured about the importance of this choice, the principal called us, by last name, to go to a specific teacher. Being that my last name starts with a W, I was one of the last students.

When the principal called my name, I walked straight to the room I was supposed to. The teacher was sitting down lazily in her chair. She had an infamous reputation for being a bitch to students – but, of course, only the student knew about it. She tricked the boys of our school into thinking that she liked him, and then she'd go out with him. This game went on for a while with each unsuspecting victim, and each time she went a little further. Then, one day, she gets the kid expelled – more than dumping him. The boys who fell into her snare convince themselves that the rumors were just that – rumors. (5)

Anyway, I sat down across from her and coughed. She looked up and smiled a fake smile. "Well, Joey," she said in a falsely sweet and assuring voice, "It's time to choose what you'd like to do with your life." Her eyes saw me as another potential victim. I didn't fall for it; I'd seen too many boys fall into this trap.

I nodded, coolly looking back at her. "Yeah, I realize dat," I said. "May I see da brochures?"

She handed me brochures of different jobs. I glanced through them. _We need YOU to serve your nation! Join the Army!_ (6), _What do you think of a career in space?_, _Join the people who taught you! Be a teacher!_, _Art your thing? Go to art school!_, _Love music? Become a musician!_ et cetera.

However, it was the last one that caught my eye.

On it was a picture of a child on a bed. The picture gave a birds' eye view of him. His eyes were open, and blank. He was obviously dead.

On the brochure, it said, _There is a way you can help prevent deaths like this. _

I opened it. The teacher, noting my curiosity for it, told me to take it with me; there were more copies. My time was up.

As I was walking out, I read the brochure. By the time I was out of the building, I knew what field I'd go into.

* * *

(1) We learn about allegories and metaphors et cetera in school and it's HORRIBLE. Grr. I thought that Joey might share my frustration. As I know many of my classmates do. CURSE THE GREEN DOBLIN.

(veena: and her little dog too! -_cackles_-)

(2) I dunno about other countries, but here in America, my teachers put down a check or a minus for class participation/behavior et cetera in their grade book. This helps determine the part of our grades that it based on that stuff.

(3) Hehehe. That's how we remembered the different spellings and meanings of "principle" and "principal." You know, "my principal is my pal…"

(4) I don't know the real names of Joey's parents, so I'm using Malcolm and Annie. This is off of Madyamisam. She uses those names, and I give her credit.

(5) This is based off of Ms. Chono in the manga.

(6) This sounds really American. I don't think army brochures are like that in Japan, but, hey, I couldn't resist.


	2. Tell Them The Truth

_They Want Me To Keep Fighting_

_Chapter Two: Tell Them The Truth_

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO or Arina Arono, owned by Random Person number three. Veena and Julia also own themselves. WAIT! I do own Hikari Daeron!

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JOEY'S POV:

"… So I've decided to become a doctor."

I sat in the room of one Hikari Daeron, my notorious cousin who hooked Seto Kaiba's heart. Damn it, if she _marries _Kaiba, I don't know how I'm gonna live with the constant insults and screams of, "MUTT!" every time I visit… which will be everyday. Or more. Heck, I might even move in! … With _Kaiba_? Wait, this is demented, I'm having an argument with myself. Sigh. I can never win.

(Veena: he actually SAID "sigh"!) (Me: No. Just thought it.)

So anyway, my cousin and I are close, and so, being a weekend, I made a beeline for her house. I told her all about the brochure and stuff. And she listened.

"Joey, that's _awesome_!" she exclaimed. She picked up her guitar. "Just for that, I'm going to sing you a song." She randomly made a song and sang it.

(Veena: ...sure she did. I distinctly heard "Moby Dick" in there somewhere.) (Me: The Moby Dicks! How about that? … Actually, no. I will not have my band having that name. Speaking of which, I'm referring to your hardcore polka band as my band because I manage it. GET ME A NAME AND I'LL START TO ADVERTISE! The King of Games! Okay, no.)

"Anyway, to get back to the subject at hand…" she said, placing her guitar back against the wall, "I think it's great that you want to be a doctor! You and I should go check out Northwestern."

"Why?"

"Cause they have one of the best neuroscience departments in the world and a kickass medical school, that's why. When people hear of Joey Wheeler, it won't just be Joey Wheeler the runner-up in Duelist Kingdom and fourth place winner of Battle City – it will be _Dr._ Joey Wheeler, graduated of NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, AND the runner-up in Duelist Kingdom and fourth place winner of Battle City. How awesome would that be?"

(Veena: yeah, but at the same time I'll be Veena McCartney, the European actress who graduated from Cambridge U and married Paul McCartney! And she never played with yugioh cards! lol, I'm only joking. actually, no I'm not.) (Me: Oh, the reasons I love my friends…)

I couldn't help but laugh. My cousin looked and sounded hilarious when she was on top of her bed with long pants and a tank top, trying to emphasize her point by using her arms and nearly falling off her bed. I caught her and steadied her.

"Easy there," I said with a laugh. "I wouldn't appreciate you being dead, nor would Kaiba, I'd hope to think."

She shook her head. "He most _definitely_ wouldn't appreciate it, Joseph Anthony Wheeler."

"Hey, what's with the full name?"

"Hey, what's with the hatred towards my future husband?"

I couldn't help but feel an impending feeling of doom. "So you're planning on sticking with him and marrying him?"

"Mm. Yeah. I'd like to." She looked out her window. "Now just making sure that he'd stick with me is the problem."

I walked over and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hikari, I've known Kaiba for about seven years. Throughout _all _of those seven years, I have _never _seen him show _any _sign of affection towards _anybody_ except Mokuba. Even those were rare. I've only seen him hug Mokuba once, and that was after Noah released the two from stone. Other than that, he was completely standoffish. But then he met you, and _everyone _started to notice him change. He started being less annoying and really didn't say much anymore. Then something happened, and he starting acting nice – I have to admit, it was kinda creepy. After that, you two said you were going out, and we all knew why he had had change of heart."

(Veena: she cursed him.) (Me: Thank you, Veena.)

She smiled. "Thanks Joey." She paused. "Now, enough about me – you came to talk about you."

"Oh yeah," I said. "I forgot that I am the important one." I ducked her slap. "But seriously. What am I supposed to tell my friends, the ones who think I'm stupid?" (Veena: tell them about Mexico. they'll understand.)

She paused for a moment. "Tell your friends the truth. Tell –" There was a knock on her door, interrupting her. "Come in."

Arina Arono, a good friend of ours, came in. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"

"Nah," I said, slipping on the accent. Hikari looked at me. "Alright, alright, I'll tell her."

"Tell me what?" she said.

I took off the accent. "The truth is, Arina, that I'm not the person I appear to be. To most, I appear to be an uneducated egotistical street jock, when, in fact, I'm an _educated _egotistical street jock." She looked shocked, but laughed. I did too. "What I'm saying is that I need to find a way to slowly let my friends know that I'm not the person I appear to be. But I don't know how to do that." (Veena: it's this little thing called "START ACTING SMARTER!") (Me: I know! He's such a failure… but I love him anyway.)

She extended her hand. "I'm glad to meet the real Joey Wheeler," she said as I took it. "But seriously, I think that you're friends will be pleased."

"And Kaiba?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "What will he say? Smart mutt?"

She shrugged. "Who cares about Kaiba? Oh, sorry Hikari."

Hikari shook her head. "Whatever. But I've been telling Joey to let people know his true self. They might be pleased to know the true Joey."

"I'm agreeing with you," said Arina. "I can't wait to know the true you better, Joey. Honestly." (Veena: ...because before you were SO annoying.)

I sighed and lay on Hikari's bed. "I dunno guys. I mean, the only reason I hide my true self is because I had to in order to blend in when I was on the streets. I didn't want to stand out. People _know _me as the dumb blonde. If I suddenly change, people won't know _what _to think."

Hikari looked thoughtful. "That makes sense."

"So why don't you tell your close friends first, and slowly?" suggested Arina. "And then, after they know, start acting like yourself. When you meet new people, don't put on the accent. Soon, most people will know you for who you really are."

I thought about it for a moment. "It just might work." I paused. "Hey, I'm gonna need some help." I suddenly had an idea. "Arina, could you pose as my girlfriend for a while, so people won't get suspicious when the three of us are out, discussing this stuff?" (Veena: wait... why?) (Me: Gossip. Rather just "admit" that they're going out rather than face the gossip. Seeing Joey with Hikari is no big deal, seeing that they're cousins, but seeing Arina with them too may make certain people think that Joey has a girlfriend. In that case, better say that he does and get it over with.)

She shrugged. "Sure."

"And Hikari's already my cousin, so there's no worry…" I laughed. "Look out world, a new Joey Wheeler's coming to town!"


End file.
